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A night before the assembly elections in Maharashtra, a political storm erupted as explosive allegations involving Bitcoin transactions rocked the state politics. The center of this controversy is Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule who has been accused of using Bitcoin funds to allegedly influence the polls, by politicians from the ruling party of Maharashtra.
Former IPS officer Ravindra Patil accused NCP MP and opposition leader Supriya Sule and Congress leader Nana Patole of using Bitcoin scam-tainted funds to influence the polls. The allegations, backed by purported audio clips, have sparked a fierce political war, with Sule denying the claims.
Speaking to reporters after casting her vote, Sule dismissed the accusations as “fake” and claimed the audio clips were fabricated with AI. “Not my voice. All these voice notes and messages are fake,” she declared.
Sule also announced defamation and criminal cases against BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, who presented the audio clips during a press conference. Trivedi alleged a conspiracy involving Sule, Patole, a former police commissioner, and a dealer to funnel illicit Bitcoin transactions to fund the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
“I am ready to answer his five questions anytime, anywhere,” Sule retorted, asserting her commitment to transparency. The NCP leader highlighted her history of opposing Bitcoin and cryptocurrency misuse and expressed confidence in law enforcement’s ability to identify the culprits.
Ajit Pawar, Deputy CM, supported an inquiry, stating, “The audio clip has their voices; I can figure out from their tone. An inquiry will be done and everything will be clear.” However, Sule ignored his comments, saying, “He is Ajit Pawar; he can say anything. ‘Ram Krishna Hari.’”
Sharad Pawar, NCP founder and Sule’s father, called the allegations baseless, accusing the BJP of orchestrating a smear campaign. “The person who made the allegations was in jail for several months. Only the BJP can do this,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, BJP doubled down with tweets linking senior police officers and audit firms to the alleged Bitcoin scam, claiming cash was sent to Dubai to erase transaction data.
However, critics lambasted the party, accusing it of using AI-generated audio and failing to verify evidence before making public accusations.
Sule took to Twitter, condemning the allegations as an election-eve tactic to mislead voters. She confirmed filing complaints with the Election Commission of India and the Cyber Crime Department, vowing to expose the “mala fide actors” behind the claims.
As Maharashtra’s 288 constituencies head to polls, the controversy has overshadowed the electoral battle, particularly in Baramati, where Sule faces a tough fight. With the BJP and MVA trading accusations, the election has become a heated clash of allegations and counterclaims.
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The relatively peaceful local government polls in Ogun State turned awry on Saturday when some policemen suspected to be on an illegal duty assembled and supporting an opposition candidate of the 2023 general elections opened fire on the vice chairmanship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ikenne Local Government, Hon. Muhammed Olaitan Efuwape, and one voter named Biola.
Hon. Efuwape was said to have escaped death by the whiskers with injuries, but Biola wasn’t so lucky as the gunshots shattered his legs, and he was rushed to a nearby hospital where he is receiving medical attention.
It was learned that the former opposition candidate illegally brought in over 40 policemen from MOPOL 49 in Lagos, with party thugs riding on Okadas, going around and trying to snatch ballot boxes while brandishing guns and other weapons in Ikenne Local Government in their desperate attempt to scuttle the electoral process.
Sources said that his personal assistant in the company of policemen was going from one polling unit to another harassing innocent voters and led the illegal policemen to carry out the assassination attempt on Efuwape at his polling booth.
It was observed that upon arrival at the polling booth, they opened fire, wounding both the Vice Chairman and Biola. However, other voters, enraged by the shooting, apprehended one of the policemen, disarmed him, and confirmed he was from MOPOL 49 in Lagos.
The rest of the policemen were chased by law enforcement agents and curiously made their way to the home of the opposition leader where they took refuge.
It was learned that in the course of trying to apprehend the policemen, they opened fire on law enforcement officers, particularly the men of the Department of State Services (DSS), whose vehicles were damaged by a hail of bullets.
A security source said that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, was notified of the development, and he immediately instructed the Ogun State Police Commissioner, CP Abiodun Alamutu, to assemble men of MOPOL 16 and MOPOL 71 to proceed to their hideout and arrest the illegal policemen.
While some of them escaped by scaling the fence, others were arrested and taken into custody in the Ogun State Police Command, Eleweran, Abeokuta.
“The mobile policemen were said to have opened fire on the DSS operatives, and upon learning of the development, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Kayode Egbetokun was said to have given orders to a contingent from MOPOL 16 and MOPOL 71 to effect the arrest of everyone within the house,” a source said.
Candidates aligned to Team Blue in the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) county level elections easily won in two of the three repeat elections help on Saturday 16the October.
Allies of Doris Petra and Nick Mwendwa won in two counties as Ismael Mohammed Issack carried the day as he was elected the FKF Mandera County chairman while William Lokwee triumphed in Turkana county as three counties went into a repeat of the election exercise following ties on election day last Thursday.
In Nyandarua county, former county chairperson Lucy Kageni’s ally emerged victorious in an election exercise that was engulfed with claims of bribery and voter intimidation.
Lucy Kageni who is the running mate of former FKF CEO Barry Otieno hails from Nyandarua where she is the immediate former Nyandarua FKF chairperson.
Claims have emerged that the election process in the county was marred by instances election malpractices including intimidation and bribery involving promises of bursary allocation in a heated race that saw the county Governor Kiarie Badilisha intervene to calm escalated tensions.
In the first vote, candidates allied to team blue and Lucy Kageni’s candidate had tied on votes forcing a repeat of the polls.
On the other hand, team blue, which has Petra and the national presidential candidate and Nick Mwendwa as running mate has 31 confirmed county chairmen in their fold as well as four others in the grey areas.
Kakamega Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula has one vote in confirmed county bosses and projected to bag one more vote in the gray votes which is as well leaning towards team blue and could swing in either way.
Hussein Mohammed has command of 14 counties with four votes are gray areas all leaning towards team blue.
The voting in the three counties were redone as Turkana and Mandera counties did not have a poll for the position of chairman while in Nyandarua there was a poll following a tie in the chairman’s position.
Team blue has claimed a strong command in different regions. Petra and Mwendwa’s allies have won majority counties in the North Rift region and coastal region.
In mount Kenya region, team blue captured Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Embu and Tharaka Nithi while five counties in Nyanza are also allied to the Mwendwa- Petra axis.
Ahead of the November 16 local government elections, the Ogun State Government has approved Friday, November 15, 2024, as a work-free day.
This, according to the government, is to enable Public and Civil Servants who desire to travel to their various Local Government Areas to perform their civic duty to do so without any hitch.
In a release signed by the Head of Service, Mr Kehinde Onasanya, on Thursday, the work-free day was in line with the principle of inclusiveness and participatory democracy of the Dapo Abiodun-led administration.
DAILY POST reported that the Chairman of the state Independent Electoral Commission, Babatunde Osibodu, said voting will begin by 8:00 am and end by 2:00 pm in all 5042 polling units throughout the state.
He added that there would be no vehicle movement during the polls other than that of emergency vehicles or cars on official election duties.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, Ogun State Command, says it will deploy not less than 3,150 personnel across the 20 local government and wards in the state for the November 16 local government election.
The state commandant, Remi Ekundayo said this is to ensure safety of voters, and to prevent any sort of violence during the election.
Ekundayo spoke on Thursday during a sendforth ceremony for the Commandant, David Ojelabi, held at the Ogun State Command Headquarters in Abeokuta.
Ekundayo assured that all hands are on deck to ensure that Ogun State remains a peaceful state while emphasizing her commitment to take a bold step in enhancing her predecessor’s work.
“Our core values are safety school, disaster management, private guard company training and others.
“We are going to deploy 3,150 personnel across the 20 local governments of the state and wards to ensure peace in the forthcoming election.”
She maintained that the Command would work hand-in-hand with other sister security agencies to ensure peaceful elections in the state, adding that she is committed to the peace of Ogun State.
Meanwhile, the outgoing commandant David Ojelabi acknowledged the support of his officers, noting that it was good working with them.
He said, “I came to the state as Commandant and left as Assistant Commander General. I came with Mr. Ojelabi and I left with Dr. Ojelabi. I acknowledge the support of my men for their sense of understanding towards the achievements of my administration.”
Also speaking, the Special Adviser on Security to the Governor, AIG Olushola Subar, admonished the new commandant to emulate the good steps of the outgoing commandant.
He wished Ojelabi success in his new assignment.
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti has declared that he is still a member of the Labour Party (LP) despite the defeat suffered by his party during the recent Abia State local government elections.
Otti, who stated this at Government House Umuahia while responding to questions from journalists during his monthly chat with the press, on Thursday, blamed the crisis in LP for the abysmal performance the party recorded.
He explained that a lot of his supporters who were dissatisfied with the crisis in the LP went elsewhere, even as he said that his followers voted for right candidates irrespective of their political party platforms.
“I can assure you that I am in the Labour Party. The crisis in the Labour Party made a lot of our supporters go elsewhere.
“Political parties are simply platforms and when you muddle up things in your political party, you create opportunities for your competitor and that was what happened during this last election.
“I remain in the Labour Party and any time I am going to leave, that is if there is any need to leave, you will be properly informed,” he declared.
On the statement by leaders of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) Abia State chapter that they did not waive their gratuities, the governor reiterated that the retirees were never deceived into signing documents with the state government as they alleged.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has called for a peaceful and credible Ondo State governorship election, scheduled for November 16, 2024.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Akure on Thursday, Professor Yakubu emphasized INEC’s readiness for the election, highlighting the commission’s efforts to ensure transparency and credibility.
On preparations for the election, Yakubu said INEC has implemented various electoral activities, including voter registration and collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards, PVCs.
He said the commission has uploaded detailed information on collected and uncollected PVCs for each of the 3,933 polling units in Ondo State.
According to him, a total of 2,053,061 registered voters are expected to participate in the election.
On security measures, the INEC boss stressed the importance of security during the election, ensuring personal safety and protection of observers, the media, and citizens.
He said the commission has worked closely with security agencies to develop a comprehensive election security plan.
On his part, the INEC’s National Commissioner, Professor Kunle Ajayi, urged political parties to conduct themselves with decorum and responsibility.
He emphasized that elections are not a zero-sum game and that democracy flourishes in an atmosphere where candidates compete based on ideas, vision, and respect for the electorate.
INEC said it will deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS and the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IReV, to enhance credibility and transparency.
The commission has accredited 111 domestic and international organizations, deploying 3,554 observers, and over 100 media organizations.
The Inspector-General of Police, represented by AIG Abiodun Oladimeji Asabi, on his part, emphasized the crucial role of security in the upcoming Ondo State governorship election, scheduled for November 16, 2024.
He stressed that the success of the election depends on peace, order, and security and that any breach of peace or security can compromise the exercise.
To ensure adequate security, the Nigeria Police will deploy 22,239 officers, in addition to personnel from sister agencies. The police will work closely with other security agencies to identify and address potential security threats, provide security at polling stations, and protect voters, electoral officials, and materials.
The AIG urged all stakeholders, including political parties, candidates and agents, to conduct themselves peacefully and lawfully, adhering to global best practices of democracy. He cautioned against violence, thuggery, and electoral law violations, warning that violators will face diligent prosecution.
The leadership of the National Youth Council of Nigeria in Cross River State has cautioned against disruptions of the local government council election slated to hold on 2nd November 2024.
They have also cautioned would-be chairmen of the 18 local government councils to lead with the fear of God.
The youth leaders warned that LG funds must be judiciously applied for the overall development of the local communities.
They made the caution when they addressed journalists in Calabar ahead of the council elections in the state, saying any public disturbances that may disrupt the peaceful conduct of the election will not be tolerated.
The state chairman of NYCN, Comrade Emmanuel Olayi, who addressed journalists, said, “We urge all who will emerge as leaders of our local government to lead with the fear of God.
“They should ensure the utilization of funds as will be available for the all-round development of our communities in support of what the state government is doing to better Cross River State.”
They called on their members who have political interests across the structures in the 196 wards to participate actively in the conduct of the election.
They pledged their support for a successful election, appealing that they and their local government coordinators be considered as partners in peacebuilding and community development.
They appealed that as stakeholders, there should be deliberate plans for more youth inclusion in terms of appointments in the various positions of leadership at the local government level when the administration is constituted.
They called on the security agencies to be vigilant and proactive in dealing with any possible disruptions.
“We call on them to uphold the law by taking swift action against anyone attempting to cause trouble in any of our local government areas.
“As a youth community, we say a vehement no to any individual or group with retrogressive intentions; such groups MUST have a change of plan in the interest of the state.”
They described the decision of the federal government to grant autonomy to local governments as a historic step toward empowering local communities, maintaining that this will ensure that resources reach the grassroots and allow local governments to function more independently.
Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State on Saturday commended the peaceful conduct of the chairmanship and councillorship elections holding across the 44 local government areas in the state.
Yusuf made the remark while speaking to journalists at the headquarters of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission, KANSIEC, shortly after casting his vote at Gwale, his local government area.
He noted that the elections, which took place in 484 wards across 44 local government areas, were the freest in Kano’s history.
He assured that those elected would serve the people’s interests and his administration would ensure good governance.
The governor also commended the chairman and staff of KANSIEC for ensuring the conduct of free and fair elections.
”When it comes to elections, there shouldn’t be any impunity and we should ensure that people are allowed to freely exercise their franchise.
”I am appealing to the judiciary to continue to be neutral when it comes to elections. It is not good for our judiciary to be partisan.
“Even though Kano State Government is the only government which came into office under the platform of NNPP, we shouldn’t be intimidated. The people of Kano are peace loving, but if they are pushed to the wall, they can react.
”We’ve seen what happened in Rivers, so we took proactive measures to ensure that a similar scenario does not happen in Kano.
“I want appeal to the opposition to always accept defeat as we have upper hand in terms of voter support,” he said.
Aliyu Suleiman, representing the Sokoto State Electoral Commission, also commended the peaceful conduct of the elections.
A fresh controversy has hit Saturday’s local government election in Kano State as a Federal High Court on Friday sacked the 44 chairmanship and councillorship candidates of the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP.
Justice Simon Amobede sacked the NNPP candidates while delivering judgment in a suit filed by a faction of the party led by Dalhatu Shehu Usman.
The judge asked the faction to submit its list of candidates to the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission, KANSIEC, for clearance.
The defendants in the case are the Independent National Electoral Commission, Kano State Independent Electoral Commission, Inspector General of Police and Director, Department of Security Services (DSS).
Upon hearing the originating summons filed and dated 8th October, 2024, Justice Simon Amobede restrained INEC from releasing the voters register to KANSIEC.
The court also ordered the acceptance of the list submitted by the plaintiffs.
“The 1st defendant (INEC) is hereby restrained from releasing the voters register for the 2nd defendant (KANSIEC) to conduct the proposed election on 26th October 2024.
“The 2nd defendant (KANSIEC) is hereby directed to accept as genuine and subsisting, the list of NNPP candidates submitted to it by the recognized State Chairman of the party Dalhatu Shehu Usman, which is in accordance with the party Constitution, and reject any list of candidates submitted to it by anyone else for the 2024 Local Government Election in Kano State.
“That the 3rd and 4th defendants (Police and DSS) are forthwith restrained from providing security and protection to the scene of the election planned to take place on the 26th October, 2024.”
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State chapter, has expressed dismay over the October 19 council elections, describing it as electoral robbery against the people of the state.
The state chairman of CAN, Rev. Caleb Ma’aji, explained that the local government election was seen by the citizens of the state as an opportunity to exercise their franchise of electing candidates of their choice at the grassroots, lamenting that they were later denied the chance when they spent the whole day waiting for the materials but were disgraced without casting their votes.
According to him, “Reports from our officials from the various local government areas in the state indicated that people waited for the necessary materials to cast their votes but all in vain after spending the whole day waiting for KADSIECOM officials, only for the same commission to announce the winners of chairmen and councillors in the 23 council areas in the state.
“The chairperson of the commission, Hajia Hajara Mohammed, only announced the winners of the elections without the number of votes won by the candidates as well as those of other candidates from other political parties that participated in the elections.”
He explained that while the people of Kaduna State have started settling down with the conviction that Governor Uba Sani is, to some extent, carrying the people along in his governance, the manner in which the council polls were conducted and announced leaves much to be desired by all.
CAN, according to him, called on the state governor and the State Independent Electoral Commission to rise to the occasion to ensure that the right thing is done by ensuring that the votes of all eligible voters are thoroughly counted and winners are announced irrespective of their political parties.
According to Ma’aji, “The international best practice and the rule of law of the democratic processes should not only be seen to be upheld but be seen to be done in a modern society like ours where citizens deserve their rights to be protected and seen to be done for the overall peaceful coexistence and development of the state.
“We call on Christian faithful to remain calm as we believe that the right thing will be done to address the abnormality.”
He also called on Governor Uba Sani, who has promised to be fair, equitable, and just to all the citizenry, never to allow anybody to smear his name and the hard-earned reputation he has earned, saying that the avoidable challenges should be addressed and the right thing be done for the unity, peace, and progress of the people of the state.
The Middle Belt Forum, Kaduna State chapter, has rejected in its entirety the results of the council elections held on Saturday, October 19, as announced by the KADSIECOM chairperson, Hajiya Hajara Mohammed.
A statement issued by its state chairman, Luka Binniyat, pleaded with Gov. Uba Sani, who has the final say in the matter, to critically appraise Saturday’s election and take a positive, courageous position in a manner that would strengthen democracy in the state and increase the love, trust, and hope that the citizens have for him.
Binniyat said, “We plead with the Kaduna State House of Assembly to amend the KAD-SIECOM law to include heavy fines and jail terms for electoral offenses, especially for officials handling electoral matters.
“If not, it is our firm position that what was read by Hajia Hajara Mohammed, KAD-SIECOM Chairman, if not an Artificial Intelligence (AI) manipulation, stands as an annoying charade; an insult to the collective intelligence of our people and a big leap into backwardness in Kaduna State.”
He called on Governor Uba Sani to realize the particularity of Kaduna State, as a place that is highly advanced, hugely cosmopolitan, and sadly volatile and sensitive to such matters, saying that as the father of the state, he should do the needful and make an urgent intervention.
According to him, “It is possible for the APC to win all the 23 LGAs of Kaduna State, but it must do so under the rules of the game in a manner that we can, in good conscience, congratulate it and extend our hands of cooperation and work with the winners for a better Kaduna State.”
He alleged that from all that they have gathered from the field on Saturday, elections did not hold in the overwhelming 12 LGAs of the Middle Belt in Kaduna State, adding that election materials arrived late and came without results sheets, and the electorates, suspicious of an untoward game, refused to vote.
Since the election did not hold, he believed there was no way that results would have been announced to declare winners at the ward levels (councillors) and at the Local Government Headquarters (chairmen) as mandated in the KAD-SIECOM law, part VI, Section 23 (1) and (2), believing that no such results were declared anywhere in the 12 LGAs of the Middle Belt zone of the state, otherwise known as Southern Kaduna.
The chairman lamented, “We have viewed documents on social media purported to be KAD-SIECOM results sheets, apportioning votes to candidates of political parties, when clearly no such results were collated at the polls.
“It will therefore be very unfortunate and a huge minus to the integrity and trust that Governor Uba Sani has built among us if he allows the announcement of Hajia Hajara Mohammed to stand as the real results of yesterday’s supposed local government election.
“We understand that it has become a very sick and sad fad for governors to emasculate all positions of chairmen and councilors during local government elections to APC 100%.
“No one knows the implications of such injustice on even the perpetrators in the future, even as it is a huge injury to democracy and a mockery of civilization.”
A group, Kaduna Democracy Watch, has rejected Saturday’s local government elections in Kaduna State.
The group described the LG elections as a sham.
In a statement issued in Kaduna on Sunday by its Coordinator, Isaac Tanko, the group said, “We, the Kaduna Democracy Watch, are disgusted by what took place on Saturday under the false pretense of a local government election.
“Let’s be clear: no election took place. What we saw was a sham — a disgraceful, planned charade where SIECOM Chairman, Hajiya Hajara Mohammed, had the audacity to declare that the APC had won all 23 local governments and 255 ward council seats.
“This shocking announcement was made while voters at polling units across the state waited for election materials that never arrived.
“This shameful act is not just unacceptable, it is an insult to the people of Kaduna State and to the very idea and ideals of democracy. The process was an outright mockery, a power grab by a leadership that has shown it has no respect for the rights or voices of the people.”
According to the group, Governor Uba Sani should hang his head in shame for allowing the betrayal to take place under his watch.
“What happened on Saturday wasn’t an election. It was a preplanned rigging operation. Days before, rumors spread that APC candidates would be declared winners no matter what. We dismissed it as political talk, hoping the governor, whom since his emergence as Governor is being applauded as a democrat and a reformer. We were wrong. Governor Uba Sani has shown his true self— a man willing to crush democracy to stay in power, ” the Coordinator explained.
The group noted that from the onset, Governor Sani’s actions hinted at what was to come, saying that he handpicked his party’s chairmanship candidates without letting members of the party participate in free and fair primaries.
“The governor knew there wouldn’t be real elections, but he still pushed out a fake timetable, forcing people to spend their hard-earned money on campaigns, worse still, he added that SIECOM, which is supposed to be funded by the government, charged illegal fees —N2 million for chairmanship candidates and N500,000 for councillorship — then disqualified many opposition candidates without proper cause.
“This is daylight robbery. This is shameful. We will not stand by and watch this happen. We will explore every legal means on behalf of all those who were extorted, shortchanged, and disenfranchised.”
The group demanded that the governor should tow the path of honor and organize a proper election that is free and fair for all parties to participate in, stressing that anything less will prove that he has no regard for the people of Kaduna State and that he’s willing to let democracy die under his watch.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been declared the winner of all 23 local government chairmanship positions and 255 councilorship seats by the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KAD-SIECOM) in the local government elections held across the state on Saturday.
While announcing the results, KAD-SIECOM Chairman, Hajara Mohammed, explained that eight political parties participated in the elections, and the APC emerged victorious in all contested positions in the council elections.
According to her, “The electoral officers and returning officers have filed their reports, and at the end of the exercise, the APC won the 23 chairmanship positions and 255 councillorship seats in the state. The 23 returning officers in the local government areas and 255 ward returning officers submitted their results in accordance with the law alongside the presiding officers. By the power vested in the commission, I hereby confirm the results earlier collected and returned by the returning officers.”
In a related development, the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has rejected the Saturday council election results in Kaduna State, claiming that the exercise was not conducted.
The PDP spokesperson in the state, Maria Dogo, said, “There was no election in Kaduna. Election materials were taken to local government offices without contacting party agents, and there were no result sheets among the materials.”
She further explained that the exercise was unacceptable and assured the general public that no local government election was held in Kaduna.
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